Rolex Perpetual Padellone is the answer of Rolex for more classy watches

Rolex Perpetual Padellone  is the launch that no one expected. And it surprised us all. Or just me. Usually you know what to expect when Rolex launches something – a new sport watch, stainless steel, a new dial color and maybe a bracelet update. 

So when the announcement came, we saw a new complicated dress watch out of nowhere, with a moonphase, annual calendar and a very strange nickname that literally means “large frying pan”.

Interesting times and a Rolex that I really like and this might worth all of the money. If you want to know why are Rolex watches so expensive you can read our article about that.

Rolex Perpetual Padellone what is it and why does it sound like a pastry dish

Padellone means big pan in Italian. But it is more to it, back in the 1940s and 1950s, Rolex made some triple calendar watches with moonphases and the reference was 8171. At the time the watches were considered big, because they were 38mm, but now it’s a small watch. The fact that they were so big, made the Italian collectors and dealers call them padellone. 

The name was cemented, the watches became legendary and the early examples now sell for a really good amount at auction. 

 Apparently, Rolex has spent the last years quietly setting the stage for a comeback. And the signs were there, because in 2023 we had the 1908 collection from Rolex, a proper dress watch with a display back, something that Rolex is not usually doing. The we had the Land-Dweller in 2025 with a new movement built around a different kind of escapement. 

Now we have the Rolex Perpetual Padellone, which is the second member of the Perpetual family and to me it looks like the most ambitious watch Rolex has produced in a very long time. 

Rolex Perpetual Padellone what we actually know

 Rolex Perpetual Padellone comes in two metal variants. We have the 18 carat Everose gold or 950 platinum, both in a 39mm case with a thickness of 12.2mm. To me it seems like it is borrowing the shape from the Rolex 1908, with the same domed and fluted bezel, a set of long and curved lugs that nod straight back to the original 8171. If you want to know how Rolex compares up against their biigest rival when on watches like this, check out our Rolex vs Omega comparision.

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In my opinion the resemblance can be really seen on the dial. At 12 o’clock position we have two windows that show the day and the month. We have a blue hand tipped with a tiny crescent moon that sweeps around the outer edge of the dial tho point at the date. 

Then, at 6 o’clock position we have the star of the show…a proper moonphase.  And to be honest, the moonphase complication is pretty much useless, but to me it’s the most beautiful complication ever on a watch, visually I mean. 

Rolex offers the Everose gold version with a grained white dial and the platinum version with the ice blue dial, a dial that usually Rolex reserves for their most special pieces. 

The moonphase is the star of the show 

The disc of the moonphase is made from blue fired enamel, and the moons themselves are cut from meteorite. These kinds of details make me love a watch to be honest. The full moon has a little face printed on the silvery meteorite, and the new moon is finished in a dark blue coating. Small detail, very playful on a watch that otherwise looks really serious. 

The moonphase rotation is completed every 29.53 days, which is the actual time the real moon needs in order to complete a full cycle. So it can have a small error every 122 years or so, but you and I won’t be alive to see that error on the watch. Or maybe they will invent something? I don’t know. 

 Rolex Perpetual Padellone real novelty is hidden inside the case

Well this part actually matters, especially if you care about mechanical watches, not just pretty dials. 

Rolex has built a new movement for this watch, it’s called the Calibre 7190, and shares some of its DNA with the movement Rolex debuted last year with Land-Dweller, which means that it runs at 5Hz or 36,000 vibrations per hour. 

 The majority of watches from Rolex has 4Hz and the extra 1Hz comes from Dynapulse escapement, a Rolex design that claims is roughly 30 percent more efficient than a standard Swiss lever escapement. 

 If you are impressed by this, wait until you see the calendar system. Rolex calls it Haplos, and it is a proper annual calendar, which is the fancy way of saying that this watch can tell the difference between 30 day and 31 day months on its own. This is nice because you need to correct the date only once per year, at the end of February, instead of every single month like you normally do with a normal watch or the vintage model from Rolex 8171.

At midnight, the day, date, and month snap forward together in a fraction of a second, which is in my opinion a beautiful display of mechanical theatre if you watch and record in slow-mo you watch at 11:59pm. 

 Rolex told us that the whole movement is covered by 30 patent applications, and two of them are exclusive to this watch. Inside there is also a Syloxi silicon hairspring and Paraflex shock absorbers. 

On the back of the watch we have something that we don’t usually see on a Rolex, a see-through caseback showing the movement which is finished by Rolex with their own interpretation on Cotes de Geneve stripes and a solid gold rotor. 

How to set the Calendar on Rolex Perpetual Padellone

 Rolex Perpetual Padellone  has four little correction pushers that are hidden around the edge of the case. Rolex includes a stylus and a little instruction manual that explains what each of those pushers does. If you don’t read the instruction manuals, like we all do, you don’t need to worry because no matter the order you use with the pushers, it won’t damage the movement. That is because Rolex has a safety mechanism so we can mess with it worry-free. 

 Straps, Bracelet and the Price

You have three options to choose from…if Rolex let’s you have one. The first option is the Everose gold model that comes on a matte brown alligator strap with a green calfskin lining. The price for this one is $59,000. 

The same gold case is also available on Rolex’s Settimo bracelet, a seven link design that first was seen on the 1908 last year and I think it is my favourite option. The cost for this version is $72,800.

Then we have the platinum model which comes only on a matte black alligator strap and is priced at $66,200. 

All versions are Superlative Chronometer certified and have a standard 5 year warranty. The models are not limited edition, so in theory you can just walk into a boutique and buy one. Now that we had a good laugh about, let’s face the reality, you probably won’t get one if you don’t have a really good relationship with your AD. 

  Rolex Perpetual Padellone It is the second watch from Rolex that I like 

I don’t think that there is a point to comparing it with 8171, the new model is better and it’s understandable why, no need to explain it here. The design is pretty good, love all the complications, not something you see on a Rolex. The prices on the other hand…well let’s put it this way, I would never pay that amount of money for Rolex, even if I had that kind of money. 

It’s not that I don’t think that the watch is not good, on the contrary, I think it’s amazing in every department, but I always saw Rolex as a middle luxury watch. On the other hand, I don’t think I will see this watch on each wrist that made a little money and when they thought about a watch the first thing that came to their mind was Rolex. We all know why this myth was created, because of the Rolex collaborations made in the past that rewarded success with a watch. So this is a good thing. 

Will this be a success? Absolutely!

 Rolex Perpetual Padellone: Full Specifications

For more information you can visit their website

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